City of Oshkosh Mayor Matt Mugerauer and other area leaders called for the completion of overdue road improvement projects on community highways Monday during a “Re-VITAL-ize” event hosted by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin.
Mugerauer said that roads are the backbone of the Oshkosh community.
“The state highways running through our community have been vital to our success,” Mugerauer said. “Yet, as Oshkosh continues to evolve, these aging roadways need to be modernized to support our businesses and ensure resident safety. We need to plan for the future and ensure Wisconsin has sufficient resources to make the investments necessary to drive the success of our city and communities statewide.”
Re-VITAL-ize Wisconsin Community Highways is a statewide campaign from the League of Wisconsin Municipalities and the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin that calls for the state to complete planned road construction.
Mugerauer was joined at the Oshkosh edition of “Re-VITAL-ize” by James Rabe, the city’s director of public works, Jim Collins, the director of transportation, Amy Albright, the executive director of the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau, Alex Hummel, chief of staff at UW Oshkosh and Aaron Droessler, chief of the Oshkosh Fire Department.
Droessler said that the conditions of roadways in the city affect how first responders arrive at emergency situations.
“Bad roads negatively impact the timing of our responses, not to mention bad roads are rough on our equipment,” Droessler said.
Hummel said that the university appreciates the maintenance of local roads.
“UW Oshkosh is grateful for any investment in our roads in and around the city because it is a factor in why a UWO graduate wants to stay and live here after graduation,” Hummel said. “Ease of getting around – be it to a job or to the airport or shopping – these things matter and play a huge part in quality-of-life that keeps students here in Wisconsin.”
According to Re-VITAL-ize Wisconsin’s Community Highways, the recently enacted state transportation budget boosts funding for the State Highway Rehabilitation subprogram and includes inflationary adjustments for local transportation aids. The group says that local leaders have warned that the highway rehabilitation program is insufficient without a sustainable, long-term funding solution.
